Twelve's the Number
by VivaLaTwilight
Summary: Bella and Edward fell in love and have always wanted a big family. Well, they got what they wanted for sure. A family of 12 kids. Things are crazy, but having this big of family, does come with consequences. Especially having to move for Edward's new job.
1. Twelve is Our Number

**A cross story between Twilight and Cheaper by the Dozen.**

I don't own Twilight or Cheaper by the Dozen in any way possible.

I think you pretty much know the story line. Two adults fell in love and get married and have 12 kids together. Things are bound to get crazy in this one big happy family. Happy? Yeah right. **(I will keep some things from the movie, but change some things also.)**

The sun was just starting to rise as my husband came home from his morning jog.

"I'm getting too old for this," he panted as he entered our bedroom.

"Need a paramedic?' I asked with a sarcastic smile.

"Just another pair of knees would be nice," he replied, kicking off his sneakers.

I grabbed the manuscript in front of me. "Well, I finally finished my book today." I turned it around towards him to see the cover. "350 pages, clean cover, no peanut butter stains. I'm sending it to Angela today." I smiled triumphantly.

He came over and kissed my forehead then went to my lips. "You know what I was thinking about on the run today?" he asked as he pulled away.

"What?"

"How many years have we been married?"

"It'll be 24 this year," I answered.

"Right," he said, sitting beside me and playing with my brown wavy hair. He looked to the side, staring at our bed. "I was thinking that we could use some change around here." His lips pulled into that sexy crooked smile that I've always loved about him.

"What do you suggest?" I asked.

"Well," he got up and went to our bed. "Let's take this lumpy mattress for instance. We should get rid of it." He sat down, and when he did, I heard some faint giggles. I looked at him, and he was still smiling. He could hear them too.

I decided to play along. I got up and went over to him. "Well, honey, you can just pound the lumps out of the mattress." I kissed his cheek.

"Pound the lumps?" He winked.

"Yeah, just start swatting away."

He leaned back. "Just swat the lumps away!" He started, lightly, hitting his hands on the bed as he fell back.

Then in no time at all, a small group of our kids, including our dog, showed up from under the covers. Laughing, squealing, and tickling their father.

"Be careful," I said over them, grinning as I looked at my husband and children.

Twelve is mine and Edward's number. It's the number of basketball games Edward coaches at Washington University. It's the date we met, coincidentally on the twelfth month of the year. It's also the number of kids we have. Raising twelve kids can get really crazy, but having a small family wasn't an option for Edward and I.

Edward loved growing up with his five siblings: Emmett, Alice, James, Elizabeth, and Bree. Since I was an only child, I spent most of my time actually wishing I had five brothers and sisters. I was practically a loner in high school. I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona with my mother and stepfather. After high school, I got accepted into Washington University and decided to live with my father, Charlie, on breaks. He lived in Forks so it really wasn't a far drive. Little did I know that I would find love in college.

Edward was attending the same university as me, and we met after one of his basketball games. His jersey number was also twelve. We swapped numbers and would talk for hours. He asked me out two months later and we became inseparable. His siblings treated me like I was one of them. Alice and Emmett were the ones I become closest with. James kind of creeped me out a bit.

One of the discussions Edward and I had was how many kids we wanted. He wanted eight kids, as I wanted eight. Poof. That did the trick.

Edward and I got married in '86, not long after Emmett got married to his high school girlfriend Rosalie. I let Alice be the wedding planner, and after many arguments, she finally let us invite just family to the wedding. Oh, and Edward's best man, Jacob Black. What a mutt. After our honeymoon, we went and moved to Chicago.

A year and a half later, we had our first child. Ayla Marie Cullen. I loved taking her to work with me. Then after Branden and Kenleigh were born, Edward and I decided that living in the city of Chicago, working two jobs, and dreaming of having eight kids wasn't gonna happen. So Edward called his father and mother, Carlisle and Esme, over in the state of Washington and they got him a job as a basketball coach at Forks High. So, we quit our jobs, packed up everything, and moved across the country.

You could say Edward and I got busy when we moved to Forks. We had Andrew, Sheylyn, Riley, and Evan one year after the other. Instead of having that magic number eight, we had our first set of fraternal twin girls, Bailey and Jordyn. Nine kids.

Edward and I got further with our career plans, but we didn't think about that entirely. Family was the most important. We had our hands full with nine, we were happy and we were done.

But then we were invited to a party of Jacob Black's, and well, let's just say we had too many beers. Nine months later, we had Mason.

Then in 2006, Alex and Ian got us to number twelve. Right after that, Edward finally got a vasectomy. We already had the big family we wanted and more.

**EPOV**

"Riley, be careful on skateboarding in the house!" I called after him.

"'Kay, Pops," he replied.

"Okay, kids. Go get dressed and start helping out to start the day!" I ordered the kids as they left the bedroom.

"Branden missed his curfew again last night," my beautiful wife said. "Take care of that, please."

I nodded my head, and saw Shey banging the bathroom door with her hockey stick. I lifted her up so she'd stop hitting the door, and she grabbed a hold of the doorknob. Guessing it's locked. Then that means…

"You can only spend so much time in there, princess!" Shey yelled. "The face doesn't get any prettier!"

"You made me smear my eyeliner!" Kenleigh yelled back from inside. "Guess what that means? I get to start all over again. HA."

"Temper, Sheylyn Rose," I told the pre-teenager in my arms. "Hurry it up, Ken!"

Chaos, you think? Eh, it's not all that bad. I've grown up in a big family my whole life so I'm used to it. I carried Shey into her room that she shared with Bailey and Jordyn and headed towards Branden's room.

"Have you seen my frog, Dad?"

"Sorry, Branden..." No, that's not his name. "Alex…" No. "Ian..."

"Evan, Dad," he answered for me.

"I knew that."

I knocked on Branden's door, letting him know I was coming in.

"Kiddo, you got caught last night," I said to the half-asleep son of mine, slowly getting up. "You're not gonna get that college scholarship when you're out with Jessica the night before a big game."

He shook his head, messing up his brown locks. Branden's my oldest son and he looks just like his mother. He inherited the dark brown eyes and brown hair, but he got the messiness of his hair from me. We can't keep it tamed, no matter how hard we try.

"I'm not even sure I wanna go to college," he said, rising out of his bed.

"Since when?"

"Since Jess's mother offered me a well-paying job at the mechanic shop," he replied, his eyes staring back at me.

I crossed my arms. "Sounds like a whirlwind. We'll talk about that after you get your full ride. Meanwhile, be home by 10:30 on school nights."

Branden nodded. "Deal."

"Anything else you wanna talk to me about?" I asked while heading out the door.

"Did I mention I don't like you very much?"

I nodded.

"Then I'm good," he shrugged and smiled.

I smiled back and stood in the hallway. "Alright, kids. Time to help out with breakfast!"

The kids emerged from their rooms and ran into the kitchen.

"Stations, sir?" Mason asked, giving me the salute when I entered the kitchen.

"Alex and Ian, feed Shadow his breakfast. Can you handle it?"

"YEAH!" the boys ran off to find Shadow's dog food.

"Bailey, Jordyn, Mason, and Andrew make the school lunches. Shey, make and butter the toast. Riley, orange juice. When Branden's fully awake, he'll help me with the eggs and waffles."


	2. Breakfast Time

**Chapter Two: Breakfast Time**

**EPOV**

"Alright, so this family clearly doesn't obsess over their appearance like I do," Kenleigh started her speech as she entered the kitchen. I could see the rest of the kids rolling their eyes at her. "Fine, whatever. But, one of my goals, besides being a fashion guru, is to show the local neighborhood that the Cullen family actually does own a bar of soap. So, to show that off, I think I should be allowed at least five extra minutes in front of the mirror."

"Two," I said to her so I wouldn't have to hear anymore. She's just like her Aunt Alice. Except she wasn't the pixie height. Kenleigh's a sophomore, about 5'10", bronze hair with brown highlights and bangs, and her mother's eyes. She actually could make it as a model.

"Done," she promised.

"Good, now help your sister butter the toast."

"Okay, scheduling for today!" Bella said as she came into the kitchen and started setting the table. "Shey, your suspension has been lifted from your guitar lessons for busting the amp and causing it to catch fire, so you're going today. Andrew, you have band practice. I cleaned your trumpet, and don't play with food in your mouth again. Bailey and Jordyn, your teacher called and asked that you do not correct her in front of the class. Mason, you have show and tell today. Remember that body parts don't count. Alex and Ian, you have a dentist appointment at three, so you're going to work with Dad."

"YEAH!" I heard my twin boys cheer. The first batch of eggs were ready and I turned off the stove before I faced the boys. We flexed our muscles and made growling noises.

"Go help your mother set the table, boys," I told them when we were done. I poured the eggs on a big plate and set it on the table. I announced to the family, "We're shooting our Christmas card tonight."

I turned to Bella. "What time is Ayla coming over?"

My eldest daughter, Ayla, had graduated from college last year and was currently living in Port Angeles with her boyfriend, Chase. He was an "actor", yet his career was going nowhere.

"Um," Bella started, "she may not make it." Knew that was going to happen.

"She hardly ever comes home since she started dating that doorknob," Shey said.

"He's not a doorknob," Bella disagreed.

Riley turned to her. "The man can crack his nose, Mom."

Bella shuddered. "Yeah, that's gross."

"Fine, I'll shoot it without her," I said. "We'll photoshop her in."

"Honey, can you take ten pounds off of me with that photoshop?" Bella asked. I didn't need to do that. Bella still had the same figure she had back in college. You wouldn't believe she actually had twelve kids.

"Can I be photoshopped in?" Shey asked.

"Wait, if Shey's being photoshopped in, then I'm definitely being photoshopped in," Riley said.

I turned to them. "No one's being photoshopped in but Ayla. Everyone be here by five."

"Why do we shoot our Christmas cars in April anyway?" Shey asked as she set the toast on the table.

"Because the earlier we get it done, the bigger discount we get it to the printer," I explained, sitting down. "Now, let's eat!"

At the breakfast table, I felt like I was back in high school during lunch hour. It was never silent, and we'd sometimes steal food off each other's plates.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move upwards and I turned to see Evan with a smile on his face and raising his net towards the ceiling. I looked to wear he was moving it up to and saw his frog, Speckles, on the chandelier.

"No, Evan!"

I was too late. The net hit the chandelier, scaring Speckles, and knocking him off. He landed right into the plate of the scrambled eggs, splattering it everywhere onto everyone. The girls started screaming and the boys were grossed out by wearing their food.

"Get him!" I yelled.

Hands went all over the place, trying to catch the frog. Speckles managed to hop off the table and onto the counter. He hopped onto the school lunches and knocked them over. Milk, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and bits of fruit went all over the floor.

"Mason, stick!" Bella demanded.

Mason went to the corner of the kitchen and tossed his hockey stick to Bella. She caught it and ran to the other side of the kitchen to the back door.

"Evan, net!" I grabbed the net from Evan.

"I got the door covered!" Bella said.

"I got the net…" I said, then just like you see in the movies, I slipped on a banana peel and fell flat on my back. I heard the kids go "Oooooo" and then silence went through the room.

I got up slowly, and glanced around me. I felt like a jungle man on the hunt. I saw Speckles, quietly ribbet-ing on the counter, staring right at me. I gave him an evil smile. I screamed, therefore scaring and causing Speckles to jump in the air. I slid on my knees, like a rockstar did with his guitar, and Speckles landed safely in the net.

Cheering came from the table and it was silenced again as I slowly got up.

"Uh-oh, busted," Mason said to Evan.

I turned to Evan and he slowly approached me. His green eyes, with the little brown specks in one of them, full of fear.

"Put Speckles…" I outstretched the net to him, "in his cage…" I smiled and said softly, "now."

Evan took the net and turned around. Although, the end part of the net collided with the teacups on the counter. Glass shattered everywhere. Once again, the kids went "ooooo".

I put my head in my hands and turned around to face Bella. Her eyes were closed.

"Is everything broken?" she asked. I didn't answer her. "Teacup with the heart on it broken?"

"Nice move, FedEx," Shey said to Evan. I turned around and gave Shey a glare. She knows I hate it when she calls him that. Evan hung his head down and left the kitchen.

**BPOV**

"Alright, kids. It's time for school!" I called.

The kids came flooding downstairs and headed out the door. We don't live that far from the elementary school, so we allow the kids to walk. Kenleigh and Branden's school is another three minute walk from the elementary, so they walk with the young ones.

After the little breakfast episode, I had to change out of my original clothes since I got scrambled eggs all over them. As for everybody else.

I walked out the door and caught Andrew before got too far.

"You forgot your music sheets, honey."

"Thanks, Mom."

Kenleigh walked up to me, fixing up her bangs. "For the record, Mom, I'm so over Ayla's hand-me-downs."

I gave her a look. "Well, you look gorgeous in anything, Ken." She exhaled a breathe and walked down the porch steps to catch up with everyone else.

I then saw Evan with his hat on, looking down. "Whoa, hold on," I gently pulled him back. "What's wrong with you, kiddo?" I lifted up his hat and saw through his glasses that his eyes were full with sadness.

"Everyone says the FedEx guy dropped me off 'cause I don't fit in with this family," his voice explained quietly.

It kills me to see one of my kids upset. I bent down to face his eye-level. "You fit in." I pulled him into a hug. "You fit in right here."

"I called shotgun!" a little voice yelled.

I pulled away from Evan to see what was going on.

"No I did!" another voice yelled back.

"Hey! You two!" I called to Alex and Ian. Ian pulled Alex to the ground. "Knock it off!" I went down the steps to them, and tried to get them off of each other. "Stop it. I'll give you candy!"

"Alex, Ian, chill or be chilled," Edward warned.

They immediately stopped and went to their father's car.

"Yeah, sure, listen to him," I said sarcastically. I looked back up at the porch and didn't see Evan. I looked around and saw him slowly riding his bike to the other kids. I let out a sigh.

"So, Ayla's not coming?" Edward asked meeting me at the bottom of the steps.

"Most likely not," I replied. I pulled the folded piece of paper out of my back pocket and handed it to him. It was the e-mail she sent me before breakfast and I printed it out to show him.

"'Hi, can't make dinner. Chase and I are moving into the new apartment,'" he read aloud. He rolled his eyes and handed me back the e-mail. "That is _so_ Ayla. We tell them they can't sleep together when they visit, so she moves in with him when she graduates."

I shoved the note back in my pocket and we started walking to the car. "She's just trying to have her own life, baby."

"She's too young to have her own life."

I shook my head. "She's 21. She's the same age I was when I was pregnant with her."

He stopped and looked at me, giving me a look. "You know just five minutes ago, she was sitting on my shoulder pointing out all the pretty lightning bugs back at Dad's house."

Daddy's little girl's all grown up now. "Then you blinked?"

He nodded slowly. "I'm not gonna blink anymore. No more blinking." He gave me a quick goodbye kiss and started walking to his Volvo. I couldn't help but quickly look at his ass. He has such a cute one on him.

He then stopped and quickly turned around. Damn, he caught me. "You were checking me out, weren't you?"

I shrugged. "Got a problem with that?"

"Twelve kids later and we still got the heat!" He started shaking his hips and fanned himself with a goofy grin on his face.

"Whoo!" I turned around and quickly shook my butt then ran back into the house.

I couldn't help but feel today was going to be full of events.

**The ages & grades of the kids:**

**Ayla, 21.**

**Branden, 17, senior.**

**Kenleigh, 15, sophomore.**

**Andrew, 13, eighth grade.**

**Shey, 12, seventh grade.**

**Riley, 11, sixth grade.**

**Evan, 10, fifth grade.**

**Bailey & Jordyn, 9, fourth grade.**

**Mason, 7, second grade.**

**Alex & Ian, 4, pre-school.**


	3. The Offer

**I own nothing.**

**Chapter Three: The Offer**

**EPOV**

The guys were doing excellent at their practice. We ran a few drills, then started practicing on the game plans. Alex and Ian seemed to like their job. They were passing out basketballs to the players and were actually coaching them to work harder and to run faster.

I liked my job here as coach. The guys seemed to enjoy it too. We would play music in the locker rooms to get the excitement going, and we'd actually have fun during the practices. What also made me happy was that they liked having Alex and Ian around. They call them "mini-coaches".

I was just settling in my office when I heard a soft knock on the open door. I looked up to see…

"Jacob."

I got up and we embraced in the man-hug. "What are you doing here?" I asked when we pulled away.

He shrugged. "Are you busy being a pansy husband to read the newspaper?" He handed me the paper he was holding and I read the headline. _Washington University Basketball Coach Fired._

I looked at Jacob. He hasn't changed much. Just add a few grey hairs. "That coach was 5-3."

He ran his hand through his hair. "He doesn't cut it. I'm trying to run a program."

Alex and Ian came in through my office, carrying bottles of water and Gatorade.

"Hey, boys," I said to them. "You remember Jacob? We played college b-ball together."

"Yeah, the mutt," Ian said, smiling brightly.

I gave him a look. Not in front of the mutt, boys.

"Mom said it first," Ian shrugged. He looked like he could read my thoughts. He inherited that from me.

Even though Bailey and Jordyn were our first set of twins and were fraternal, Alex and Ian were identical. They had their mother's heart-shaped face, lips, nose, and eye-color. They had my hair-color, except Alex's was slightly darker than Ian's. Ian also had a little freckle above his eyebrow when Alex didn't.

"We're having adult time, boys," Jacob said, in a way asking them to leave.

"No idea what that means," Alex replied.

I cleared my throat. "Well, it's a time where adults actually get to have a conversation without being interrupted by kids," I explained.

"Sounds really boring," Alex complained as Ian nodded his head.

"Yes it is," Jacob said. "Now why don't you two run along and play with the big boys?"

Now they knew that was their cue to leave.

"Mom's right, he is a dog," Ian whispered loudly to Alex. I knew that if I could hear him, then Jake must've heard him.

"Sorry," I apologized. "Bella likes you, it's just that she had to have the best player on the team." I smiled to myself.

Back in college, Jacob had a thing for Bella while I was dating her but Bella didn't even give him the time of day.

"Yup, she picked the star player," he mumbled. "Then you got all this." He looked around the room.

My office was filled with my awards from high school, college, and for being best coach of the year. Four years in a row, in fact.

"So, are you going to tell me why you're here or were you just here to show this article?" I pointed to the paper in my hands.

He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Well, Washington's a winning machine. So, do you think you can make our old team a champion again?"

My eyes grew wide. "You mean, as coach?"

He nodded. "Coach."

I felt a smile grow across my face, taking this all in. This would be such a great opportunity. Man, being back at Washington University, it'd be great. But that would mean we would have to move closer. We'd have to be living in Port Angeles.

"I'll get back to you, Jake."

**Third Person POV**

"Edward, what is it?" Bella asked as Edward dragged her down the stairs to the laundry room. "Just tell me."

"Hold on," he said. He went to the washer and dryer machine and turned them on, knowing that the kids could easily hear their conversation.

He was right. Andrew, Evan, Bailey, Jordyn, Shey and Mason were at the door.

"Dad's covered with the machines," Andrew announced as he pulled his ear away from the door.

"To the chute!" Mason exclaimed.

"This must be big news then," Bella said. She saw the smile plastered on her husband's face when he came home from work. It made her very curious.

"Jacob wants me to coach the Trojans," he admitted.

Bella's jaw dropped. "No way."

"It'd be a five year contract. He even offered housing allowance and moving expenses," Edward explained, getting excited over this. "Bella, we can get new furniture. Even a new car! I also did some research. University employees can send their kids to school for free! Isn't that great?"

"Wow," Bella breathed out. _This is a lot to take in_, she thought. She walked to the clean clothes pile and started folding them. "Honey, the coaching job. It's a lot more pressure and more hours than you get here."

Edward nodded, helping Bella with the folding. "True, but all the kids will be in school next year. We could handle more job pressure."

"Yeah, but Forks is our home. The kids' lives are here."

Little did they know, that right behind them, Mason was quietly hanging in the chute upside down and listening to every word. The rest of them were upstairs holding on tightly to the rope that was holding Mason.

"Forks has been great for raising the kids," Edward admitted, "but I never wanted them to sacrifice the way that I did…"

Bella looked at him. "You loved your childhood."

"Yes, except for the old hand-me-down part."

"Trojans head coach, huh?" Bella asked, taking it all in. "It's your dream job, isn't it?"

Edward nodded. He held onto both of Bella's hands and rubbed his thumbs against them. "I really want this one, baby."

"Let's talk to the kids," she said. They turned towards the door, letting go of one hand, still holding the other.

"How do you think they'll handle it?" he asked, shutting the door behind them.

Mason lightly tapped his foot against the metal walls of the chute, letting the others know that it was time to pull him up.

The kids pulled him up with all their might. Mason appeared, facing them. His brown shaggy hair all over the place as he hung upside down.

"We're gonna move!" he said to his brothers and sisters.

The kids' jaws dropped and they accidently let go of the rope holding Mason.

Mason screamed on his way down and landed in the laundry basket at the bottom of the shoot.

"Mase, you okay?" Andrew called.

"That was awesome!" he called back. "Let's do it again!"

**5 p.m.**

The kids were sitting, very unhappily, on the steps of the porch. Edward was setting up the camera as Bella was instructing everyone to sit.

"Okay, I'm gonna set the timer and I want everyone to give me a big 'cheese!'" Edward said.

The kids didn't move or say anything. They were dressed in Christmas colored clothing, except for…

"Riley, do you have to wear black?" Bella asked as Riley sat down.

"Black works, Mom," Kenleigh said. "Jesus had his funeral on Christmas."

"He died on Easter, Malibu Barbie," Andrew corrected.

"Whatever," Kenleigh rolled her eyes.

"He was_ resurrected_ on Easter, you idiot," Jordyn corrected Andrew.

Andrew lightly hit her in the back of the head. "Shut up."

"Don't touch me!"

Just like that, all the kids started arguing for no reason.

Bella crossed her arms and Edward came up from behind the camera.

"Hey!" he yelled, and the kids quieted down. "What's all the fighting about?"

"Exactly when did you plan on telling us about moving?" Shey asked.

"I'm not moving, Dad!" Mason yelled.

All twelve started yelling and screaming, Shadow barking, at Edward and Bella. Bella turned to Edward, giving him a look. Immediately, Edward knew what she was thinking. Time for a family meeting.


	4. We're Not Moving!

**I own nothing.**

**Chapter Four: We're not moving!**

**BPOV**

"I'm not moving," Branden demanded, once again.

Telling the kids we were moving wasn't exactly what I thought it'd be. I didn't know they'd find out. They're pretty sneaky, I'll tell you that. So, we were settled in the living room and Edward and I tried to reason with them on moving.

"Branden, Port Angeles is only two hours away," I explained. "Jessica can come and visit."

"This isn't just about Jess, Mom! My whole life is here in Forks."

The phone rang. Thank God. I looked at the caller ID and it was Ayla's number. I pressed the button, setting it on speaker.

"Hello?"

"_Hey, Mom_," Ayla greeted.

"Ayla, you're on speaker," I told her.

"_Hi, everybody,"_ she greeted. _"Chase says hi too. So, you guys are thinking about moving up here?"_

"Yeah," Edward answered her. "You got enough room in that apartment for your huge family?"

She laughed. _"Just big enough for two, Daddy. How's your book going, Mom?"_

"Actually, I just sent it to a friend who's in publishing, so we'll see," I answered.

"Can we stay on the subject, please?" Bailey asked from the couch.

"Speckles' mother is buried here!" Evan said. "I'm not splitting them up. They're family."

"We can build a new memorial to Freckles in our new yard," Edward reasoned.

Kenleigh let out a laugh. "Like we can afford that."

Edward looked at her. "Actually we can. I'll be making enough money to do that, get you out of hand-me-downs, get Riley those new skates he's been wanting, and that new car we've been saving for."

"But I have friends here!" Shey yelled.

I gave her a sincere look. "Honey, you'll keep in touch. You can also make new friends."

That set off another round of yelling from the kids about not wanting to make new friends.

"I've had enough of this," Edward mumbled. He got up and got the megaphone. "Quiet!" he said into it. The kids quieted down and looked at their father. He removed the megaphone. "Look, I know you're all scared. Moving is a big deal, we're very comfortable here. I get that. That's why I turned down a lot of other coaching offers through the years."

I nodded, agreeing with him. Let's just hope the kids will understand this one.

He continued. "But this is a job I wanted since we left Chicago. It's actually more than a job to me. It's my old team, it's my colors, my alma matter, it's the Trojans. They're finally calling my number. I want you kids to take this risk with me, because if you do, I promise that we will be a happier and stronger family."

"You promise?" Evan asked.

"I promise." Edward sat down next to me and held my hand.

"Well, I would feel happier and stronger if we vote on it," Shey said, her forest-green eyes were serious.

"Definitely," Branden agreed.

"It's the only way to make it fair," Jordyn said.

"Fine, we can vote," I agreed with the kids.

"But in the end, your mother and I are gonna do what we think is best for the family," Edward said.

Bailey threw her hands in the air. "What's the point of even voting?"

"I'm out," Shey said, leaving the room.

After that, everyone else followed her out.

"Ayla, we'll call you later. Okay, sweetie?" I told her.

"Yeah, sure."

We hung up and I went with Edward to help with dinner.

**Later that night…**

"Okay, let's see…"

Edward lounged on the bed, counting off torn pieces of paper. "We have eight no's, two yes's, and two maybe's."

I reached up on my tip-toes to get the box off of the closet shelf.

"Give me a pen. I'm gonna change some of these," Edward said.

I found our old college yearbook in the box and handed it over to him. He opened the page bookmarked and read aloud.

"'I'm so glad I found someone whose dreams are as big as mine. I want this forever and always. I love you. Bella.'"

I laid right next to him, and cuddled. My head against his chest, legs entwined, and he wrapped an arm around me.

"I always loved the way you went for things, Edward," I told him. "All or nothing. Sky's the limit." I looked up into his emerald green eyes and cupped his cheek, feeling the stubble under my fingertips. I could see it in his eyes that he really wanted this job. He was never the type of person to give up anything, and that's what he taught me. You only live once. "We're doing this."

He kissed my forehead. "Thank you so much, baby."

I lifted my head to kiss his soft lips. His kisses still managed to give me butterflies after all these years.

I pulled away, and moved my hands up into his bronze hair. "By the time we move, the kids will get used to it."

I hope…


	5. New House and Neighboors

**Chapter Five: Moving Day.**

**I own nothing.**

Two weeks of the house being up for sale, the Cullens finally found a buyer. The kids, however, were not pleased. Not even Shadow.

"Shadow, get in the car!" Edward tried motivating the stubborn black lab to move. "Come on, boy. Get in the car!"

Branden and Jessica were saying goodbye, hugging each other so tight and never wanting to let go.

"Don't forget to call me," she reminded him tearfully when she got into her car.

"Don't forget about me," Branden told her. He bent down and they shared one last kiss before she drove away.

"Branden!" Edward called. "Do me a favor and drive the truck?" He tossed Brandon the keys.

Brandon caught them and grabbed his dufflebag. "Thanks for ruining my life." And with that, he turned on his heel and went towards his mother's old, red, beaten-up truck.

"I don't wanna move!" Alex and Ian screamed in unison.

Bella was figeting getting them into their carseats and trying to calm them down at the same time.

"Everyone's going with us!" Bella tried to talk over the screaming boys. "We're taking all your toys! Okay. Well, whoever said expressing emotion is a good thing, I'd like to see."

Once everyone was calmed down and done packing up their belongings into the moving truck, it was time to hit the road.

"Alright, this is our street," Edward announced.

After traveling two hours from the green of Forks to the city of Port Angeles, the Cullens found their neighborhood. As they were looking around, a stretch limo pulled up beside their silver van. Rap music was blaring from inside and two "gangster" boys who looked about twelve glared into the Cullen van.

"Um," Kenleigh started, "are you sure we're gonna fit in here, Dad?"

"You'll have friends here in no time, kids," Edward reassured.

By the time Kenleigh looked back at the limo, it had pulled away, screeching its' tires.

Branden beat everyone else to the new house. He was leaning against the truck patiently and looking over at the house. He then saw the moving truck and the silver van pull up.

"Okay, here we are!" Edward announced. "Everybody out of the van. I want everybody out!"

All 11 kids and Shadow jumped out of the car and glanced up at the house.

"Whoa!"

"Check this place out!"

"Cool!"

The house was definitely bigger. The brick pathway led to a three-story white house with a big yard and small apple trees.

"It's a 1920s classic," Edward said excitedly. Him and Bella grabbed hands and went up to the kids. "The twins share, but everybody else gets their own room. Now, go kill each other for the best one!"

Just like a race, they sprinted off into the house.

"Hey, Branden."

Branden turned around to face his parents.

Bella was grinning as Edward was shaking the truck's keys in his hand. "You're gonna need a car to visit Jessica."

Edward tossed the keys to his son, "The Chevy's yours now."

Branden's chocolate eyes met his father's emerald ones. "You trying to butter me up?"

"Is it working?"

He shrugged. "A little bit." He gave a sincere smile and walked into the house to find himself a room before it was too late.

Edward and Bella entered the house. Bella was amazed how Edward picked the house and how beautiful it was.

The walls were painted a soft green that complimented the dark hardwood floors. There was a grand staircase leading up to the balcony over looking as you entered.

Edward turned to his wife. "Welcome home, Bella."

Bella smiled and kissed him chastely. "It's gonna be great, Edward." She wrapped her arms around him and he kissed her soft mahogany hair.

_This whole move will be great for the kids,_ Bella thought._ We're all gonna be a happy family. This will be a good thing... I think._

Ding-dong.

"People are here!" Riley announced as he got the door.

"Hello," Bella greeted to the three people in her doorway. The woman was petite and had long straight black hair. She had a big smile on her face and showed her perfect white teeth. The man standing next to her had messy brown hair and his skintone was darker. He was shorter than Edward. Maybe 5'10". In front of them was a young boy. He seemed to be around Riley's age. He had brown hair, hazel eyes, and braces. "Come on in."

"Hi," the woman greeted. "I'm Carmen Denali. This is my husband, Eleazar, and our son, Garrett. We live across the street." Carmen handed Bella a little pot of yellow orchids.

"Oh, thank you. This is lovely," Bella said as she took the flowers. "I'm Bella, this is Edward."

Edward nodded. "Hey."

"We're the Cullens and we're..."

Shadow interrupted the conversation and started jumping and growling at Carmen.

"Shadow! Shadow, down!" Edward grabbed Shadow's collar and gently tugged him away from Carmen. "Ha. Are you hiding a burger anywhere on you guys?"

"I don't eat meat," Carmen stated.

Shadow growled again and ran up the stairs as Edward and Bella glanced at each other.

Riley ran between the two families and began to go up the stairs.

"Riley!" Edward called to him. "Dude, two words: manners."

Riley gave Garrett a nod. "'Sup? Wanna help me unpack?"

Garrett nodded back. "Sure." He pulled off his sweater and gave it to Eleazar.

Carmen grabbed the sweater from her husband and handed it back to Garrett. "Put your sweater on, sweetie."

"He's inside, dear." Eleazar took back the sweater and gave his wife a look.

"Don't start."

Bella looked out of the corner of her eye and saw Edward staring at her. Just from that look, Edward was thinking exactly what Bella was thinking. _What the fu –_

"So," Carmen started, "is Riley your only child?"

Bella chuckled. "No, we have twelve."

Carmen's jaw dropped and her brown eyes went big.

Edward's arm wrapped around Bella's shoulders. "Couldn't keep her off me." He gave a sarcastic smile and Bella gave a nervous laugh.

"Heads up!"

A little yellow ball flew over the balcony and was headed towards Carmen's face. Edward stepped in front of her and quickly caught the ball in his hand.

Mason raised his gloved hand from the balcony, dressed in a helmet, elbow and knee pads.

"Use little less wrist, Mase," Edward directed as he threw the ball back up to his son.

"Got it, pops."

"Uh, they're playing hockey in the house?" Carmen asked, catching her breath.

"If the game gets bigger than three on three, they have to take it outside," Edward answered.

"Garrett!" Riley yelled. "You're gonna wanna stop now, dude!"

All parents looked up and saw, just in time, Garrett rolling on his skates, not stopping, soar over the balcony and catch onto the chandelier.

Carmen screamed at the top of her lungs. "Oh my God! Save my baby!"

Edward sprinted up the stairs. "Hold on, Garrett!"

"Little help here!" Garrett yelled as he swung from the chandelier.

Edward leaned over the balcony, trying to get a hold Garrett. "Don't worry, Garrett. I hang from the chandelier all the time."

"Cool!"

Edward swung one leg over the balcony railing and reached out. "I think I got him. I got him. I..." Edward lost his balance and grabbed onto the chandelier. "I don't got him!"

"Oh my God!" Bella set down the flower pot on the floor and held out her arms.

Edward started yelling as him and Garrett started spinning around even faster. "So, Garrett, know any good restaurants?" He felt a jolt. He looked up and saw that the chandelier was starting to tear from the ceiling.

"I got you, Garrett!" Bella called from below.

"Watch out, Dad!" Riley called from the balcony.

"You can let go, Garrett," Edward said. "I think Bella's got you."

Garrett closed his eyes tightly and let go.

"Oh my God!" Carmen screamed.

Bella caught Garrett, the impact of the fall causing both of them to go down on the floor.

Edward, still spinning, looked up and saw that the chandelier was hanging on by a tiny wire.

"Oh, sh –"

The chandelier tore from the ceiling, sending itself and Edward to the wooden floor. Glass shattered all around and Edward lifted his head up.

Carmen ran over to her son and started unbuckling his helmet and safety pads. "Sweetie, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Mom."

Edward rose up onto his knees. He shook his head and glass fell out from his hair. "Y'know, the entire five minutes we lived here, I really hated that chandelier." Garrett and Bella were the only ones who chuckled.

Carmen helped her son get up. "Okay. Well, um, we better go. It's – uh – time for you violin lesson."

Garrett looked confused. "I don't play violin, Mom."

"Well, then, you need to practice for your violin lesson," Carmen muttered.

"Come over anytime, dude!" Riley said, tossing Garrett's sneakers to Eleazar.

"Um, we'll call and schedule a playdate," Carmen suggested to Edward and Bella.

"No need," Edward shrugged. "Just come by anytime.

"Oh, no. We'll call." Carmen gave a reassuring smile.

"You're all invited to my birthday!" Garrett said before Carmen closed the door.

Bella chuckled nervously. "That'll be... fun."

Edward got up onto his feet. "Hey, Branden!" Branden appeared at the top of the staircase. "Come on down and help me with this, okay?"

"Careful, honey. There's glass everywhere," Bella told Branden as he came down the stairs.

Edward's cell phone chippered. He pulled it out from his pocket and read the screen. _Jake._ He pressed the green button and put the phone to his ear. "Hey, Jake. What's up?"

"Cullen, big news. Fox Sports is at the college and they want to interview the Trojans' new coach!"

"Really?"

"Live television, Cullen," Jake said excitedly. "Grab your suit and tie."

Edward grinned. "Okay, I'll see you there!" He hung up and ran up the stairs. "Hey! Guess what! Fox Sports wants to interview me on TV!"

Bella looked down at the broken chandelier, then at Branden. "Okay, well, we got this."

"Dad's gotta earn a living!" Edward yelled from the bathroom.

"Twelve kids," Eleazar sighed. "That's the throwback."

"Irresponsible is what it is," Carmen corrected.

Garrett looked at them. "How come you didn't have more kids?"

Carmen put her arm around her son's shoulders. "Because we wanted one perfect child and that's what we got."

_Certainly don't need twelve. That's crazy. They're all gonna end up on milk cartons._


End file.
